


Zoey's Extroadinary (Completely Unexpected) Love Story

by disneylover2014



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Development, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Hearts Songs Galore, Just My Crack Ship, Slow Build, Slow Burn, no love triangles here, not if I can help it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23101186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disneylover2014/pseuds/disneylover2014
Summary: Zoey's conversation with Leif after his review goes a bit differently. He's just a touch more receptive and she's just a a hair more persistent. And this sets the two of them on a completely new path of songs and feelings neither of them ever expected in the slightest as they help each other become better versions of themselves. Sometimes it's the ones you least expect who end up being the ones you need the most.AU from Episode Four that follows the main plot of the series- just with one key difference.
Relationships: Zoey Clarke/Leif Donnelly
Comments: 15
Kudos: 62





	Zoey's Extroadinary (Completely Unexpected) Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> So... I've been watching Zoey since the beginning and I haven't really been gelling with either option presented to us in terms of a love interest right now. My brain much preferred this crack ship instead for some reason since All I Do is Win and I thought maybe someone else out there would enjoy it too. So here it is. Enjoy!

Zoey Clarke approached where her colleague Leif Donnelly was swinging in perhaps the most morose way known to man. Seriously, she was surprised “ _Everybody Hurts_ ” wasn’t being sadly performed once again with how sullen he looked. This was going on the third day now and it was time to fix this. Maybe because it was one of the only things she felt like she could fix right now after everything these past few days. His productivity had absolutely crashed and as Joan had pointed out this whole system was her idea… making her feel like this was all her fault as well. Plus, it was technically her job to fix it as his manager and all that.

“So… I asked Joan for all my peer reviews and she sent them to me,” Zoey began her attempt as she unfolded the iPad she had just collected from her boss’s office. “She said there were some not so nice ones here. Let’s read them together.” She climbed onto the landing next to the swing- Leif at least turning to look in her direction. That was something. She at least had his attention for the moment which was more than she had honestly been expecting.

She flipped to the comments. “Let’s see. Stammers too much. Lacks confidence. Wears too many sweaters over collared shirts.” She paused after that one, puzzled. “Not sure how that one is quite performance related.” She shook the thought from her head knowing she needed to get back on track. Leif’s attention had drifted to his sad, sad swinging again. “Can’t delegate. Tries too hard. I deserved the promotion-not her.” Well, it was no wonder where that one had come from.

Leif brought his swinging to a halt to look at her again. “I wrote that one.”

“I’m shocked,” she muttered sarcastically before shutting the iPad and hopping to her feet. “Look, reading these comments hurts a lot. Very deeply. Quite a bit more than I was expecting them to. But once we’ve taken in that criticism it’s all about how we pick ourselves up and bounce right back.” He twisted to face her as she hit her hands for what was hopefully poignant resonance.

It didn’t seem to based on his incredulous expression. “Bounce back?” He started twisting as he recounted everything that had been thrown his way in that office. “From being smug… and self-righteous… and overly ambitious… and more alienating than endearing. What? Should I have a brain transplant?”

“No,” she disagreed kindly, grabbing the ropes and twisting him back so he faced her. “I think you need to take the note. And be better.”

“So, you agree with it?”

She took a step back, disappointed this was all he seemed to be focusing in on of her pretty kickass speech. “I think they’re not wrong!” she admitted without hesitation. She knew lying to him would ultimately be a disservice to the both of them right now. She had to keep pushing and hope he finally got the point. “I think that sometimes you’re willfully disrespectful to me. You have this ‘all I do is win’ attitude dancing around in your head at all times whether you like to admit it or not. And it doesn’t make you a team player, Leif.”

He regarded her for a very long moment- almost daring her to break eye contact. When she made it clear that she wasn’t going to he finally rose from the swing with an exasperated, in her mind overdramatic, sigh. “And so, I’m just supposed to change practically everything about the way I act? Just start being… better. Whatever that means. Easier said than done, Zoey.”

Oh no. She wasn’t let him get away that easy. She quickly jogged around him to block his path. “Yes. I know.” She quickly tried to come up with a way to salvage this. She was so close and was not about to add another failure to her recent achievements. She just decided to go with the first thing that came to mind- not really taking the time to run through her brain properly. “Which is why you won’t be doing it alone.”

The two of them both stared at each other for a long moment, both not quite believing what had just come out of Zoey’s mouth. But rather than instantly take back her comment she decided to double down with a confident nod. “I’m going to help you. As your manager I think the least I can do is try to help you be the person I think you can be. Especially since these reviews were my idea in the first place as Joan so helpfully reminded me.”

He just continued to stare like she was speaking another language. “Plus, I’ve got my share of criticism to work on too. Like the stammering and trying too hard and apparently my wardrobe. Maybe together the two of us can end up making each other better. Encourage each other.”

Leif actually scoffed at her by this point. “You can’t be serious.”

But she was. “But I am.” Zoey put on her boss expression she had been practicing in the mirror. “And maybe in turn that will lead to the two of us having a better working relationship in addition to being better people. Maybe you’ll respect me and I’ll have… more respect for you.” She should have stopped there but for some reason her mouth decided to just keep going. “Maybe we’ll even be friends.”

“Now I know you’re joking.” He brushed past her, though maybe not as harshly as she could swear he had done previously when blowing her off. “The last thing I could ever imagine wanting is to be your friend. I need to get back to work.” With that, he made his way back over towards his desk without looking back.

Success? At least it looked like he was going to be more productive now. “Good talk. I’ll check in with you later!” she shouted his way, though Zoey had no clue if he had heard her. “I feel like this will be a great opportunity for us both!” She saw Max giving her a raised eyebrow from the Taco Bar and she just waved him off. At least that hadn’t been a complete disaster.

Zoey took a seat back at her desk after returning the iPad to Joan, sinking slow as she released a breath she hadn’t even been aware she had been holding. “Okay. Okay. You can do this. It won’t be that complicated. Just check in with him now and then- gently suggest some possible changes in attitude. Take the opportunity to make both of you better like you said. Growth. This is all about growth.”

The notes started a few moments later cutting into her self-pep talk. It sounded like a slower song and she was instantly spinning in her chair trying to find whose performance she would be witnessing this time. Hopefully it wasn’t anything too stressful right now. She was kind of dealing with a lot as it was.

“ _Real friends, how many of us?_ ” A familiar voice came from behind her. She spun to see Leif had returned to his desk and was clicking his mouse in time with the beat. “ _How many of us, how many jealous?_ ” He gave a pointed look as his male colleagues.

“At least it’s a different song,” Zoey muttered under her breath. “That means progress… right?”

He continued, eye returning to his monitor. “ _Real friends It’s not many of us. We smile at each other but how many honest?_ ” He rose now, eyes meeting hers as he made his way towards her desk. “ _Trust issues Switched up my number. I can’t be bothered. I cannot blame you for havin’ an angle._ ” He leaned towards her across her desk, only to back off suddenly with a hand to his chest. “ _I ain’t got no issues, I’m just doin’ my thing. Hope you’re doin’ your thing too._ ”

This was kind of surprisingly deep for a Leif number. Usually his didn't warrant too much analysis on her part. “ _Who your real friends? We all came from the bottom. I’m always blamin’ you, but what’s sad, you’re not the problem._ ”

At least he was admitting it to himself she supposed. Though a large part of her was shocked the words had been formed at all- heart song or not. He had started pacing now, hands on his head as he grew a bit more frantic. “ _When was the last time I remembered a birthday? When was the last time I wasn’t in a hurry?_ ”

He backed off towards his desk now and Zoey recognized the sign of a song winding down as reality started creeping in again. “ _Real friends- I guess I get what I deserve, don’t I?_ ” He started clicking to the music again. “ _Word on the streets is they ain’t heard from him. I guess I get what I deserve, don’t I? Real friends… Real friends…_ ”

And just like that is was over. Zoey took a moment before she spun around once again to face her computer- not wanting to be caught staring at something only she had been able to see. It looked like her words had reached Leif a bit more than she had thought. Maybe there was a chance this could work after all. She wasn’t about to get her hopes up too high though. Despite her words, she highly doubted they’d end up being friends either by the end of this.

But heart songs didn’t lie. And this one had made her feel like there was a chance. An admittedly small one buried under layers of deep personal issues on his part- but a chance nonetheless.

She pulled out a sticky note and wrote down the lyrics she could remember to share with Mo when she got home that day. This was one definitely outside her limited music knowledge and maybe there was some deeper analysis Zoey was missing.

The rest of the work day passed without incident and Zoey exited with a tentative wave in Leif’s general direction. He didn’t wave back… but he also didn’t ignore her either. He took the third option and merely gave a small nod before returning to finishing his own work he had been neglecting the past few days. 

Zoey nodded to herself as the smallest feeling of victory swelled within her. “Definitely progress.”

**Author's Note:**

> Song used in this chapter: Real Friends by Kanye
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
